Former Coosa County Sheriff Ricky Owens indicted on theft charges

MONTGOMERY -- Former Coosa County Sheriff Ricky Lovell Owens of Kellyton has been arrested on charges of theft and violating Alabama's ethics law.

Attorney General Troy King said Monday that Owens was arrested after a Coosa County grand jury indicted him on charges that he had stolen checks totaling $5,000 and illegally received other checks totaling more than $19,000 by using his position as sheriff for personal gain.

Officials in the Attorney General's Office said the investigation of Owens began after a 2007 audit of the sheriff's office by the Examiners of Public Accounts.

Owens was released from the Coosa County Jail on Sunday in Rockford on $50,000 bond. He could not immediately be reached for comment.